MISLEADING advertisements from the beauty and slimming industry are coming under increasing scrutiny.
Seven advertisements from such companies have been suspended this year after they flouted the rules set by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (Asas), which serves as an advisory council to the Consumers Association of Singapore.
The Singapore Code of Advertising Practice states that advertisements should not exploit consumers' trust or lack of knowledge, use scare tactics or mislead by inaccuracy, exaggeration and omission.
Asas has been cleaning up such abuses by requiring disclaimers on all advertisements placed in any media, the body's chairman, Dr Tan Sze Wee, said yesterday at the Asas 2010 seminar held at Hotel Royal.
Slimming-service ads are the latest to be probed, along with other ads such as those for bust enlargement and hair products.
We want "to raise industry standards. It's not fair to legitimate service providers, as the last thing they want is to be tainted by a bad apple", said Dr Tan.
As of last month, Asas received 34 complaints against the beauty and slimming industry. This compares with last year's total of 39 complaints. Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of Case, also expressed concern over misleading advertisements by the industry.
"Customers are more wary after the recent spate of high-profile spa closures," he said. "Businesses have become more aggressive, but we also encourage consumers to play their part in protecting themselves."
The number of complaints against the beauty industry has risen over the years. Last year, Case received 2,060 complaints, up from 1,105 in 2007.
However, it may not be easy to get advertisers to comply with Asas' rules. Mr Teo Sum Lim, business director of City Life Advertising, said he has informed his clients about the regulations, but the response has been lukewarm.
He added that he expects "strong resistance from advertisers" as "their mentality is that they pay for ads that sell their beauty products and services, so they don't see why they should put disclaimers to discourage readers from buying".
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